


Bubbles

by PanicFOB



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Language, Non-superhero AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-15 10:22:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20864651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PanicFOB/pseuds/PanicFOB
Summary: You’ve settled into a nice hot bath after a long day at work when suddenly, you get the sense that someone is watching you.





	Bubbles

You quickly peeled off your jeans and T-shirts, followed by your bra and underwear, and then stared at your favorite thing about this apartment: the giant bathtub. This had been a huge selling point when you and Natasha were looking for a rental. You couldn’t live without a long, relaxing, hot bath at the end of each workday. The tap was pouring out boiling water, and you reached your fingers out to test it. Your skin felt like it was burning off, which meant the temperature was just right. You grabbed the jumbo-sized bottle of bubble bath and poured a heaping amount into the rising water. It instantly foamed at the surface, and you could already smell the soothing lavender aroma wafting over to you.

You grabbed your phone and headphones off the bathroom counter. As you placed the buds into your ears, you saw that Natasha had texted you.

Nat: Brother and bae are coming over. Cool?

You: Cool

By brother, she meant Steve Rogers who wasn’t related to her by blood, but Steve’s parents had adopted Natasha when she was only a baby, and so she and Steve were quite close. By bae, she meant Steve’s best friend Bucky Barnes who was into tattoos and motorcycles and whom Nat had been head-over-heels in love with since high school. They’d only gotten their shit together and actually started dating last year, but the mutual pining had been eternal. 

You finally stepped into the scalding pool, making sure to hold your phone high above the water. A playlist was now blaring into your ears, one that Steve had made for you a while back. It was one of the things you had in common with the man: a love for old music. It was the type of stuff that whisked you away in a fantasy of simpler times. It soothed you.

You leaned your head back against the cushiony bath pillow and let your eyes fall shut.

You didn’t fall asleep, but you were pretty damn close to a dreamlike state. You couldn’t hear anything over your loud music, and you couldn’t see anything because you refused to pry your eyes open. Because of this, you weren’t sure how exactly you realized you weren’t alone in the room. Maybe it was the slight chill that brushed across your shoulders. Maybe it was the odd sensation of eyes on the back of your head. You didn’t know how you knew, but you did.

Your eyes flew open and you whipped your head around to find Steve Rogers standing just inside the bathroom door with his mouth slightly open in surprise and his face the shade of a ripe tomato.

“Jesus, what the fuck, Steve?!” you exclaimed while ripping your headphones out of your ears and simultaneously trying to slide further down into the water to ensure he couldn’t fully see your naked body.

“Um, the door was ajar,” he said while scratching at the back of his head in embarrassment. Of course, he clearly didn’t feel ashamed enough to look away. His eyes were still glued to you, and you couldn’t help but notice the little boost it was giving your ego. You had been attracted to this man since the first time Nat had invited you over to her house back in school. He had always been your friend’s cool older brother, her sexy as hell older brother. You had decided long ago that Steve was far out of your reach. The way he was looking at you now was entirely new information.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize anyone was in here. Like I said, the door was slightly open.” Still, he made no effort to leave or look away.

Your brain was honestly having a hard time fathoming what was happening right now. You thought that the proper thing to do would be to tell him to get the fuck out, but part of you didn’t want to. A large part of you wanted him to never stop looking at you like you were the most divine thing he had ever seen.

“You’ve, uh, got some bubbles on your forehead,” he reached his hand up and pointed to his own forehead to demonstrate, “just there.”

Finally, this snapped you out of your idiotic stupor. “Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“You can leave now.”

His face somehow managed to get even redder as he finally left the bathroom and pulled the door closed behind him.

Thirty minutes later, you were dried off and dressed in comfy sweats, still standing in the steamy bathroom and dreading having to walk out there and face the other people in your apartment. You just really hoped that Steve hadn’t informed Bucky and Nat of what had happened.

They were all on the couch watching a movie, and Nat was curled up in Bucky’s lap, already asleep. That woman couldn’t make it through a movie to save her life. Steve and Bucky were still awake, though, and the former seemed to be determinedly avoiding meeting your eye.

“Hey guys,” you said lamely as you collapsed into the recliner next to the couch.

“Hey, Y/N. Rough day at work?” Bucky asked.

“How’d you guess?”

“You look absolutely exhausted. Plus, Steve said you were in the bath.”

You glanced at Steve suspiciously, praying that he hadn’t told Bucky exactly how he had discovered you were in the bath. “Oh, right. Yeah…”

You weren’t sure what possessed you to stick around in the living room for the entire remainder of the movie. You could have just ditched them and went to bed, but something about the man sitting awkwardly at the end of the couch and still avoiding looking at you was making you want to stay.

The minute it was over, Bucky scooped Nat up into his arms and told you and Steve that he was just going to go tuck her into bed. Once he disappeared, the room fell into an extremely uncomfortable silence.

Steve cleared his throat. “I’m sorry… again. It was really stupid of me to walk in there without knocking, despite the door being ajar.”

“Apology accepted,” you told him, but part of you didn’t want this conversation to be over, didn’t want to forget about it forever.

“I’m also sorry for… taking so long to leave. I’m such an idiot. I can’t believe I—”

“Almost forgot how un-attracted to me you are when I have clothes on?” you interrupted him, because really there was nothing to lose at this point. Steve had already seen you in all your sudsy glory.

“What? No… wait, you don’t think I’m attracted to you?”

“I mean, you obviously are when I’m naked, but not any other time of day.”

Steve let his head fall back on the couch. “I thought it was obvious…” he mumbled at the ceiling.

“You thought what was obvious?”

“That I’ve been mad for you since the day we met. I thought you knew but ignored it because you thought of me as Nat’s lame older brother.”

You let out a laugh of disbelief. “Lame? You thought I thought you were lame?… I’m beginning to think you’re an idiot, but never lame.”

He stood from the couch and walked over to your chair. He leaned forward, resting his weight on his hands that were now gripping each arm of the recliner. “So, you didn’t know… but you do now. What do you think about it?”

“I think you should take me to bed and continue looking at me all night the same way you did in that bathroom.”

He leaned further forward over the recliner, just enough to reach your lips with his. When his muscular arms wrapped around your waist and pulled you toward him, you didn’t bother to worry about having to explain this to Nat and Bucky in the morning. Steve was what you had been wanting for years, and you wouldn’t hesitate at this chance to finally have him.


End file.
